Rogue left Heidi in the room, claiming that she had something to take care of and would be back a little later to give Heidi a general tour of the mansion. Heidi walked over to her window and leaned against it. This was it. Everything that had happened, from her mother dying to winding up in America, had led to this. For better or worse, Heidi was a mutant.
Heidi had been taught her entire life that being different was bad. That was why she forced herself to be friends with people she didn't even really like all that much. Sure, they were okay, but Heidi didn't really feel any sort of connection with them.
Heidi was so wrapped up in her thoughts twenty minutes later that she didn't even notice when Rogue walked in until she said, "Heidi? You ready?"
Heidi instantly pulled herself back into reality. She hadn't moved from her spot by the window, but she turned around and put on a convincing smile. "Yeah," she said. "I'm ready."
The first place Rogue led Heidi to was the kitchen. Pyro was in there, along with another boy.
"Hey guys," Rogue greeted them.
"Hey Rogue," the boy Heidi didn't know said. "Who's this?"
Pyro rushed to Heidi's side and said, "This, my friend, is our newest meat. Meet Heidi Wolk."
"Hey, Heidi, I'm Bobby," the boy said.
"Hi," Heidi replied. "It's nice to meet you." No wonder Rogue liked him. He was cute and nice.
"Hey, good luck with your tour," Pyro said. "Bobby and I have something important to take care of."
Rogue laughed. "Just don't forget about the foosball tournament."
Pyro led Bobby out of the kitchen shaking his head. He said, "I knew there was a reason I liked her."
"What's his deal?" Heidi asked as Rogue led her into the next room. It looked like a rec room.
"Who Pyro? He's a showoff. He's been in a really good mood lately, too."
"Rogue?" Heidi asked.
"Yeah?"
"What's foosball?"
"You've never heard of foosball?" Rogue asked. She sounded amazed. Heidi assumed that it must be an American game. "I'll teach you how to play real quick. If you want you can come to our foosball tournament. It's at eight o' clock and a lot of kids are coming down to play or just watch. The winner gets a prize that Jean and Scott are currently debating. Knowing them, it'll be cool."
Rogue spent the next ten minutes teaching Heidi the basics of foosball. It looked like a fun game.
"So you're friends with Pyro?" Heidi asked Rogue as they continued their tour.
"Yep. He can get kind of annoying, but he's nice. Why?"
Heidi crinkled her face in consideration. "I'm not sure. Something about him is just…"
"Captivating," Rogue said knowingly. "I know."
It seemed like Rogue introduced Heidi to everyone. Heidi had never known so many people in her life. It felt so weird to have done so much and change so much in one day. If Heidi could've changed anything, though, she wouldn't. This was the first time she had ever had a real friend. You couldn't beat that. The amazing thing about that was that Rogue seemed to just be able to sense that Heidi needed her.
The foosball tournament was a blast. Heidi watched with Pyro as Rogue and Bobby foosed their way to victory.
"What do you think of the mansion so far?" Pyro asked Heidi. Rogue and Bobby were going somewhere with Scott and Jean to get their prize, and Pyro volunteered to take Heidi back to her room, which was a good thing because Heidi had no clue how to get there.
"It's good," Heidi said. "I mean, everybody's really nice and everything, but…"
"But what?" Pyro asked.
"I don't know. There's just something about it that doesn't feel right. Like something's missing."
"Reality?" Pyro guessed with a smile.
"No," Heidi said. She returned the smile.
"Seriously, Heidi, I know what you're talking about. I'm not quite sure what it is, but I promise I'll find out. For the both of us."
"Thanks."
"Good night, Heidi."
"Good night."
The next few days felt like heaven to Heidi. She had never been happier in her life. Since she ran away from home, she had never thought about her father. She never once wondered if he missed her, or if he even acknowledged her absence. She honestly wouldn't put it past him to forget about her completely. The scary thing was, though, that Heidi couldn't decide if she cared.
